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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Out of the Dark and Into A Celebratory Giveaway

You thought I'd never post again, didn't you? Well, as I'm finishing up a new book (Eeeeeep!!) and doing other important somethings...yeah. But there's some pretty cool stuff happening right now with the Bookanistas. I know, I KNOW--it's been ages since I posted a real review, and who are the Bookanistas again?? Bear with me, I'm starting up the reviews again, but also the Bookanistas are all fresh and new and Relaunched! ZOOOOOM!

Check us out. We're all fancy.

Okay, a refresher:
Way back in 2010, reader-bloggers Lisa & Laura Roecker and Elana Johnson, and some bookish friends including Kirsten Hubbard, Shannon Messenger and Scott Tracy, formed a group called The Bookanistas--and for some reason they invited me to join (like the week before we launched--while I was on vacation finishing up Ally Condie's MATCHED--so of course I said YES and after a long day at the beach I cranked out a review-post in the middle of the night before the big day). Anyway, the notion was to share their love of books, celebrate the good in YA and MG literature and to encourage reading. Between 2010 and 2013, some amazing things happened. Two Bookanistas became NYT best-sellers: Beth Revis (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE) and Veronica Roth (DIVERGENT). Many others published novels, had babies, moved into new homes, changed jobs, got married...the Bookanista roster changed. Life. You get it. Through it all, that founding passion for reading and sharing favorite books never lagged.

Today, we are relaunching our site with a BIG BOOKANISTA GIVEAWAY of signed copies of Bookanista publications, favorite books, and some fun swag. SEE BELOW. But first:

THE WINNER OF THE BOOKANISTA RELAUNCH GIVEAWAY OF AWESOME WILL RECEIVE:

Signed copies of these Bookanista-authored books…

IF I LIE and TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson PLUS ARCs of JUST ONE DAY and SPEECHLESS
LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger
BY BLOOD by Tracy Banghart
POSSESSION, SURRENDER and ABANDON by Elana Johnson
TOUCHING THE SURFACE by Kimberly Sabatini (plus a swag surprise)
BAD TASTE IN BOYS by Carrie Harris
AUDITION by Stasia Ward Kehoe
THE GIRL GUIDE by Christine Fonseca (plus sweet swag)
MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza
LEVEL 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Okay, now I want to tell you about the books I'm dying to read this summer. There are loads, actually. I'm currently reading Nova Ren Suma's 17 & Gone, which is fantastic so far, but here's my TBR list (for starters), in no particular order:

A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Três shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Três will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Holy smokes, I'm excited for this one. I had the opportunity to meet the author last weekend, and after hearing her talk about her book, I'm totally stoked.

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

I love everything Andrew Smith, so it's a given I'll be reading this, and soon. It sounds amazemazemazing.

AT FIRST YOU DON'T SEE THE CONNECTION.Sex has always come without consequences for seventeen-year-old Evan Carter. He has a strategy--knows the profile of The Girl Who Would Say Yes. In each new town, each new school, he can count on plenty of action before he and his father move again. Getting down is never a problem. Until he hooks up with the wrong girl and finds himself in the wrong place at very much the wrong time.

AND THEN YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING ELSE.

After an assault that leaves Evan bleeding and broken, his father takes him to the family cabin in rural Pearl Lake, Minnesota, so Evan's body can heal. But what about his mind?

HOW DO YOU GO ON, WHEN YOU CAN'T THINK OF ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER?

Nothing seems natural to Evan anymore. Nothing seems safe. The fear--and the guilt--are inescapable. He can't sort out how he feels about anyone, least of all himself. Evan's really never known another person well, and Pearl Lake is the kind of place where people know everything about each other--where there might be other reasons to talk to a girl. It's annoying as hell. It might also be Evan's best shot to untangle sex and violence.

This one came highly recommended to me by Matthew MacNish whose opinion I take most seriously. So, yes. I will be reading this ASAP. Also, it gave me shivers just to read the summary. CAN'T. WAIT.
*And a special mention, even though it's not technically YA:

When out-of-shape IT technician Roen woke up and started hearing voices in his head, he naturally assumed he was losing it.

He wasn’t.

He now has a passenger in his brain – an ancient alien life-form called Tao, whose race crash-landed on Earth before the first fish crawled out of the oceans. Now split into two opposing factions – the peace-loving, but under-represented Prophus, and the savage, powerful Genjix – the aliens have been in a state of civil war for centuries. Both sides are searching for a way off-planet, and the Genjix will sacrifice the entire human race, if that’s what it takes.

Meanwhile, Roen is having to train to be the ultimate secret agent. Like that’s going to end up well…

I heard Wesley read a snippet from this book last weekend, and I fell in love. So funny and memorable and such a great voice. Dying to read it, folks.

Alright lovelies, that's the start of my TBR list for your perusing pleasure. Coming up next on my blog? A review and a rundown of what I've been up to. More sizzling details anyway.

Glad you are relaunching this. I love hearing about books. I know Matt raves about Andrew Smith too but I haven't read anything by him yet. I'm super excited to read Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris and it just came in at the library.

Oh man, I'm looking forward to it. During the school year it's really tough for me to find some reading time. Today was our first official day out of school, and it's been so relaxed I hardly know what to do with myself. I had a dentist appointment and then...nothing. Think I'll go shopping or something.

Thank you, sweet Kelly! It's nice to be back. And you'll never believe it but I have another post scheduled for tomorrow. LOL And my brain has been working up yet another one, maybe for Friday or Monday. Who knows. Anything goes around here. Thanks for stopping by, sweetie. Best of luck in the giveaway!